The Mountain Springs House Blog Tour will last from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Each week I will be given a topic to discuss either on my blog or on some one's blog plus my own. I can't wait to get started. I love blog tours. They are a great way to meet new people and talk about interesting things. I expect I will make alot of new friends during the MSH tour and learn new things.

This week I was asked to write an introduction about the blog tour, post my author bio, pic and talk about my books. I already posted above about the blog tour. Well here goes the rest.

Who Am I?

Bestselling author, screenwriter, blogger, and owner of Mountain Springs Publishing House, Allison Bruning has had a passion for writing since childhood. Born and raised in Marion, Ohio, currently she lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband, Delfin, and their Australian Cattle Dog, Lakota Sioux. Her father, Roland Irving Bruning was the son of a German family who immigrated to the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. Her mother’s family immigrated from Scotland, Ireland, and England during the seventeenth century. Allison is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, tracing her lineage to the American Patriot, Private Rueben Messenger of Connecticut.
Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts with a minor in anthropology, and a Texas Elementary Teaching certificate, both acquired at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. While at Sul Ross State, she received National Honor Society membership in both programs of study, as well as admission to the All American Scholars register. She holds graduate hours in cultural anthropology and in education. Allison will graduate with a MFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, on June 28, 2013.

She is the recipient of the Girl Scouts Silver and Gold Awards.

In addition to family stories, history, especially Ohio Valley history, genealogy, and cultural anthropology, Allison enjoys traveling, camping, hiking, backpacking, and spending time with her family.

I am currently writing a high fantasy erotic series called Draconian Corazon. The first book, Passions Awakenings, will be released by Mountain Springs House in June.

In the harsh northwestern frontier of Ohio and Kentucky, a prophecy has been told. A man whose heart appears pure shall deceive her. The power he holds over her will lead her to evil. She shall denounce the ways of Our Grandmother. Another man comes, whose pure heart beats for her alone, and who has a pure spirit devoted to the goddess, Our Grandmother. He shall defeat the evil and set her free. Calico Marie Turner, a white woman raised by the Shawnee and destined to become a great medicine woman, must trust the one man who hates her the most. How can she trust Chief Little Owl Quick as the Wind to save her from his best friend and village shaman, Hunting Bear?

The waters of time never lie. Wisdom drifts down through the ages for all who dare to listen. History teaches us through honesty. Are you bold enough to hear the truth? Reflections: Poems and Essays wraps you in the untold stories of the past. Sit next to the waters of time and listen to the wisdom of the past. What if John Wilkes Booth hadn't been killed at Garret's barn? Who are the Shawnee? Why did the Cherokee accuse Sequoyah of witchcraft? These stories and more await you within this inspiring book.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Memorial Day has traditionally been called the start of the summer yet for families of those soldiers who died in the line of duty the meaning of Memorial Day was established after the Civil War as a way to honor the men who had given their lives in the Bloodiest War in US military history. It was declared as Declaration Day. Declaration Day did not become a federal holiday until 1971 when it was renamed Memorial Day and became a federal three day holiday, meaning all state and federal employees have that Monday off.

Throughout the years, the meaning of Memorial Day has begun to be replaced with sales and the start of summer. It would be a great tragedy if we as Americans, forgot to honor the dead who had given their lives for our freedom. Men, woman and yes, children have sacrificed their lives from the American Revolutionary War to the present so that we might have the freedoms we enjoy today. How can we ever forget their sacrifice?

Please take the time on Monday to honor our heroes. Visit a cemetery, go to a special service or take part in a Memorial Day celebration. Have fun with your family, cherish them, but remember to take time out to thank a fallen hero for the life you live in the United States of America. Remember their families as well. If you know a family whose soldier has died in the line of duty then thank them and offer them something. A simply gesture can go a long ways in days like these especially when the death has been so recent. Let us never forget our heroes and their families.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Oklahoma National Guard Soldiers and Airmen respond to a devastating tornado that ripped through Moore, Okla., May 20, 2013. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kendall James)http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenationalguard/8767385204/

Tragedy in Moore, Oklahoma

Destruction and chaos enveloped the seventh largest city in Oklahoma yesterday as an EF4 tornado swept through Moore, Oklahoma. This is the fourth time in five years the community has been struck by a tornado but this tornado has been the most damaging. Ninety-one people are reported to have died as I write this blog, twenty of whom were children. No doubt that the number will rise as the recovery search continues. Most of these children came from the two schools that laid directly in the two mile long tornado's path. Rescuers have been on the ground with the National Guard searching every bit of the wreckage since Monday night. There have been no more bodies recovered nor survivors rescued since Monday night as I write this at 4:20pm on Tuesday afternoon. You can read more about the rescue efforts at http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/live-updates-from-the-devastation-in-oklahoma/. Like the destruction in Henryville, Indiana, where an EF4 tornado destroyed the town on March 2, 2012, it could take up to a year for the residents to rebuild their town and their lives.

Moore, OK, May 10, 2003 -- This is the fourth time in five years that Moore has been struck by tornadoes. Photo by Bob McMillan/FEMA News PhotoUS PUBLIC DOMAIN

Tornadoes are classified via the Fujita Scale based on the amount of damage produced to man made structures and vegetation. The Fujita Scale was introduced in 1971 by by Tetsuya Fujita of the University of Chicago, in collaboration with Allen Pearson, head of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center and was updated in 1973.

Meteorologists and engineers use this scale to determine the strength of a tornado only after they gather and study evidence from ariel and ground surveys. Sometimes, depending on the circumstances, they will supplement their reports with ground-swirl patterns (cycloidal marks), eyewitness testimonies, radar tracking, damage imagery, media reports, as well as photogrammetry or videogrammetry. The graphic below shows the Fijuita Scale with typical wind speeds and damage associated with each type of tornado.

As you can tell by the photos and this chart those who survived the tornado are very fortunate to be alive. May we never forget the residents of Moore, Oklahoma. It is times like these that we should pull together as one nation and help the victims. If you want to help the residents of Moore, Oklahoma please contact the American Red Cross, Salvation Army or any other non-profit agency who is helping. Do not go into Moore at this time as it is too dangerous for anyone to walk through the ruined city. Rescue teams are still searching every nook and cranny in order to save as many people as they can.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Hey everyone! I've started a new weekly vlog on my YouTube channel. I plan to post them on this blog and on my new website.You can find my new website at http://allisonbrunin6.wix.com/allisonbruning. Here's my new vlog for this week. Enjoy!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

A Native American Dog
By Aine D
@http://www.flickr.com/photos/dainec/4003079578/

Dog Gone Wild:

Native American Dog Origins

Welcome back! Today we are going to take a break from Ohio's Archaic Heritage to discuss one of the most important transformations in human history - the domestication of the dog.

The dog was the first animal humans domesticated. Mitochondrial DNA places the genetic split of the wolf and domesticated dog around 100,000 years but the oldest fossil record we have of this divergence is approximately 33,000-36,000 years ago. The domestication of dogs began in Eastern Asia and did not occur in North American. You can learn more about the domestication of the dog from this article. http://www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/dever/dog_evo.pdf

The Paleoindian had brought their domesticated dogs to North American when they cross over the Bering Strait. Just like today, the Paleoindians may have viewed their canine companion as a member of their family. The cohabitation of canine and humans offered many benefits to the Paleoindian such as protection, hunting companion, and a pack animal to pull their sled or travious. During the Pleistocene Epoch there were two wild wolf breeds that cohabited in North America. These being the Grey and Dire Wolves. You can learn more about these two breeds at http://hal_macgregor.tripod.com/kennel/wolves.html

Mitochondrial DNA studies show Paleoindian dogs and Euresia dogs share a common ancestry with the Eurasian Grey Wolf. There has been no evidence of a separate domestication of the North American Grey Wolf which proves that the domestication of the dog never occurred in North America but had already been achieved in Asia. Thus the domesticated dog came to North America with the Paleoindian.

Native Americans continued to inbreed their dogs instead of cross-contaminating the gene pool with
wolf DNA. This practice continued until they were introduced to European dog breeds in the late 17th to early 19th centuries. The Native American Dog slowly became extinct as it's DNA was mixed with the European DNA. The closest breed to resemble its Paleoindian ancestor in North America is the Eskimo Dog. Although its fur and vocalization is reminiscent of its wolf ancestor even the Eskimo Dog's DNA links it to the Australian Dingo, the New Guinea Singing dog, and the Shiba Inu.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Wow! I am so humble by this award. The Liebster Award is given to a blog that has less than 200 followers. Liebster in German means sweetest, nicest, kindest, dearest, beloved, kind, lovely, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. It is given to blogs that share those attributes. This is the third time I have received this award.

5) I was adopted by a Delaware Native American woman who says I'm more of her sister then her own sister.

6) I went on my first archaeological dig when I was in Mount Vernon High School in Mt.Vernon, Ohio. I fell in love with archaeology that weekend and for the longest time I thought about pursuing it as a career.

7) I'm an expert in Native American culture, history and archaeology.

8) It's all about soccer with me. I played soccer from 1st through 10th grades and dreamed of playing professionally after high school.

9) I went on an RV trip with my grandparents and mother for my graduation present from Texas to Alaska.

10) I was adopted by a Mexican family when I taught school in Presidio, Texas.

11 Random Questions from Eleni

1. What fictional character would you love to be for a day?

Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would love to live the life of a pioneer girl who saw the expansion of our country. Sometimes when we are travelling through Kentucky I try to imagine what life must have been like for the pioneers who crossed into the wilderness. I think in our minds we romanticize about like back then and don't realize just how hard life was. It was a different life where family and neighbors meant more than they do today.

2. What is the hardest aspect of writing for you?

Balancing the artistic and logical side in me. I tend to lean more towards art than structure yet I have learned the value of placing your story in an outline or paradigm before writing. Structure allows the writer more freedom because it doesn't allow for the story to run away on needless tangents or for you to chase plot bunnies needlessly down the rabbit holes of story destruction.

3. What three historical figures would you love to share a cup of coffee and conversation with?

Oh, easy!!!

A) Queen Elizabeth Tudor, the Pirate Queen. She fascinates me because she was so strong, wise and determined. She was ahead of her time.

B) William Shakespeare, the Bard. What isn't there to love about the man?

and

C) Laura Ingalls Wilder. Oh, to hear her stories.

4. If you weren't an author, what else would you be doing?

I'd be an archaeologist.

5. On you're deathbed, far into the future, how do you want to be remembered?

The woman who loved everyone and inspired others to chase after their dreams.

6. Do you believe in an afterlife?

Yes. I'm a born again Christian. I'm not religious.

7. What is your favorite book, movie, and album?
There's so many to choose from. Let's see.

Book - The Little House series, Inheritance Cycle, Twilight series, Harry Potter series and anything by Margaret George.

Movie - The Princess Bride

Album - Anything by Celtic Woman.

8. Name the worst aspect of humanity.
Our selfishness and greed.

9. Name the best aspect of humanity.

Our ability to love.

10. If an alien landed on Earth and asked you to go with him or her, but that you'd never be able to return home, would you go. Why or why not?
No, because I love my husband and dog. I would want them to come with me, too.

Can I sell my books there?

11. Do you believe intelligent life exists beyond this planet? Why or why not?
Yes, because I don't think the God would create so many planets without a purpose. Our universe is huge!